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Park Queue TimesPQT

Busch Gardens Tampa
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 13 minutes on every queue you join.

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01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Busch Gardens Tampa and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 11 min (best of the two)24 min
Rides with recorded waits 1131 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Congo River Rapids18 minOzzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness57 min
Shortest typical queue Air Grover5 minKill-Ceanera - Express5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running73% (best of the two)36%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Busch Gardens Tampa and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 13 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Busch Gardens Tampa if…

  • You want shorter queues: Busch Gardens Tampa averages 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Busch Gardens Tampa's rides run 73% of opening hours against 36% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Congo River Rapids is on your list - it is Busch Gardens Tampa's longest typical queue at about 18 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Busch Gardens Tampa's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 24 minutes a ride here against 11 at Busch Gardens Tampa - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Busch Gardens Tampa does not
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Busch Gardens Tampa
  • Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 57 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Studios Hollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Busch Gardens Tampa

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay combines a full theme park with a 300-acre zoo, making it one of the largest combined attractions in the US. The coaster line-up is exceptional: Iron Gwazi (one of the world's top-rated roller coasters), SheiKra (a 200-foot dive coaster), Kumba, Montu (an inverted coaster), Cobra's Curse spinning coaster, and the classic Python. African animal exhibits include rhinos, giraffes and tigers.

Florida summer heat drives queue times into early mornings, while Howl-O-Scream, Christmas Town and US school holidays are the busiest periods. Weekdays in September, October and January stay dramatically calmer. Check live wait times for Iron Gwazi and SheiKra the moment you arrive, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for marathon coaster days.

Busch Gardens Tampa live queue times

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood sits in Universal City, California, combining a working film studio with a full theme park. The famous Studio Tour trams run through real backlots, while the park's themed rides include Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and the newer Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World.

LA and Southern California visitor patterns keep Universal Hollywood busy much of the year, with US summer school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas driving the peak. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live queue times before committing to long waits, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside California school breaks for shorter lines.

Universal Studios Hollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Busch Gardens Tampa or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Busch Gardens Tampa or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Busch Gardens Tampa: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 13 minutes back on every queue you join. Busch Gardens Tampa has 11 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Busch Gardens Tampa also runs its rides more reliably - 73% of opening hours against 36%.

Which has shorter queues, Busch Gardens Tampa or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Busch Gardens Tampa, by about 13 minutes a ride. On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa averages 11 minutes against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Busch Gardens Tampa best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Busch Gardens Tampa and Universal Studios Hollywood in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Busch Gardens Tampa and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Busch Gardens Tampa bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 11. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Busch Gardens Tampa is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Busch Gardens Tampa calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks